Apparatus for washing and scalding vegetables.



G E. WRIGHT. APPARATUS POR'WASHING AND SGALDING VEGETABLES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC,'30, 1910.

1,019,111, Patented Mar.5, 1912.

Z I C l them;

"' ,To all wkm, it may concern: i

residing at ED STAWENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. wnrenn; 0E ABERDEEN, MARYLAND.

APPAILA TUS FOR WASHING AND SCALDING VEGETABLES Be it known that I, GEORGE E. WRIGHT, a citizen of the'United vStates of America, Aberdeen, Harford county, State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus I for Washing and Scalding Vegetables, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relate's to an apparatus for carrying out my process claimed in my United States Patent No. 969,238, issued to me September 6th, 1910, for scalding and washing tomatoes and other vegetables preparatory to canning. Its object is the improvement of such apparatus whereby the .product is more quickly and perfectly cleaned, more evenly scalded, with less resulting damage, and is treated with little contact with the hands of the operator.

In its preferred form. my apparatus consists of a closed chamber or box to one or both ends of which steam, or other heating medium, is supplied by any suitable means, as perforated pipes, steam nozzles, etc. In or near the center of the machine is a basin which may be formedby' depressing the floor at this point. This basin is to hold water through which the fruit or vegetables being treated are passed to Wash them. The ends of the box are apertured to provide for the admission and removal of the product,

- and these apertures are preferably closed by means of flaps to prevent, as far as possible, the escape of steam.: A conveyer as a chain passing longitudinally through the box and dipping into the basin may be provided. The bottom or fioor of the box serves as a guide or support for such conveyer which may be maintained in contact with the floor b the weight of the product, or other suitable means.

In practice, cages or baskets of perforated or foraminous material may be used,

the vegetables may be otherwise held or laid on the conveyer. If the fora'minous receptaclesare used, they are filled with the vegetables or fruit in the field or at the point, of delivery to the factory, so that the fruit may be handled as little as possible. These cages are placed on the conveyer in front of the steam box and carried by the conveyer through the chamber or box, being first treated with live steam, then immersed in hot water, and finally treated, preferably with steam or heated air. From this point, the cage is moved out of the chamber and Specification of Letters Patent.

is removed from the conveyer.

or vegetables are then taken from the has kets, peeled and placed immediately in cans and sealed- Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed December 30, 1910. Serial No. 600,034.

The fruit By placing the steam chamber in the rear of' the bath, I shorten the process of wash-' ing,; as the dirt and foreign matter are loosened by the steam during the first scalding much more quickly-than they would be in a bath of hot water. Also, in this way, I scald the surface so that the skin may be removed without cooking the interior of the fruit or vegetables, and thus I retain the natural flavor. As the fruit is not internally cooked, it retains more of its original consistency, form and color, and is, therefore, more. attractive. Treating the fruit in baskets, as shown, aids in this result, as the necessary handling is reduced to a minimum. The drying means in front of the bath provides for the removal of surplus moisture before canning.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a machine to which my invention has been applied.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical section of the machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan.

In the machine as shown there is a frame 1 which supportsa steam box 2 and a conveyer 3. The chamber is elongated in the direction of the traverse of the conveyer and aperturod at its ends so that the upper half of the conveyer which is in the form of two horizontal chain belts passes through the chamber, and the conveyer is sufficiently loose vso that when loadedit rests on the cor or bottom wall of the chamber. latter is depressed centrally at 4 to form a tank to be filled with Water and at the ends of the chamber beyond the tank 4 are per forated steam pipes 5 at the rear in' the steam chamber 15, and, if ,desired, there may be also similar pipes 6 at the front inthe drying chamber .16. The apertures 7 at the front and rear of the chamber are closed process.

or baskets are moved from front to rear of the machine asdescribed. 1 t The application of steam, which is preferably at a pressure'of eighty (80) pounds in the boiler, will give a temperature in the steam box of between 275 and 300 F. This is high enough to produce in about ten seconds a change in the structure of the skin suflicient to loosen it and permit it to be removed. The steam will also loosen the dirt, so that when the fruitis passed into the water bath for ten seconds, the dirt will fall ofi. The water is .of much lower temperature than the steam and will not cook the fruit to any material extent, and may be at a temperature at which it will arrest the cooking The passage of the fruit through the second chamber 16,,z'. 0,, when it emerges from the water, will serve to dry it, so that when removed from the scalder it will be not only thoroughly scalded but practically dry. The scalding is done very rapidly and penetrates but a very short distance into the fruit, scarcely further than the under side of the skin. If very exact scalding is desired, air may be substituted for the steam in the rear chamber for drying, and for this purpose the front and rear chambers may be separated by a curtain 17, or otherwise, and the temperature of'the air may be regulated so as never to subject the fruit, after it leaves the' first steam bath, to a temperature as high as the live steam.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent-is:

1. An apparatus for treating vegetables for canningwhich consists of a steam box, means for supplying live steam at the rear, and drying medium at the frontof such box,

a tank for water in the middle portion of the box, and a'conveyer forve'get'ables passing through the'box, means for actuating the conveyer tocar'ry the vegetables through the box from rear to front the vegetables being subjected first to the action of steam, then washed and then subjected to the action of. drying medium.

2. In a machine for scalding and washing vegetables, means for steaming the vegeta bles, a tank in which they may be washed,

means for drying them, and a conveyer for.

presenting the vegetables to'the steaming means, carrying them through the washing tank and presenting them to'the drying meconveyer resting on the floor of the chamber,

and means for driving the same to carry the vegetables by the steam nozzles through the depressed portionwhich is filled with water, and through the drying medium.

4;. In a machine for scalding and washing vegetables, the following members arranged in the order named, means for steaming the vegetables, a tank in whichthey may be washed, means for drying them, and means for presenting the vegetables first to the steaming, then to the washing, and then to the drying means.

Signed by me at Aberdeen, Harford county, Maryland, December 28th, 1910. GEORGE E. WRIGHT. Witnesses:

F. O. View, C. H. JAooBs. 

